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Russia, a stalwart ally of Damascus, has used its permanent seat on the UN Security Council to block measures such as global economic sanctions on Syria. Canada is working as part of a co-ordinated diplomatic offensive, led by the United States, that’s aimed at pressuring Moscow into relenting.

“We encourage Russia and others to join with us to apply binding sanctions against what is a murderous regime,” Mr. Harper told the Commons. “This is unacceptable to Canadians and I believe the broader international community.”

Mr. Harper didn’t name additional countries but his use of the word “others” appears to be a reference to China which also has a permanent seat on the Security Council and has stood with Syria.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week accused Russia of supplying Syria with helicopter gunships that could be used against civilians. On Wednesday, however, Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov denied the charge.

The Financial Times quoted him as saying Moscow was merely “completing contracts that were signed and paid for a long time ago. All of them are contracts for what are solely air-defence systems.”